States', UTs' food ministers to discuss implementing Food Security Act

On October 1, 2013, the states' and Union Territories' food ministers will convene to discuss the implementation of the National Food Security Act, which got both Parliamentary approval and the president's nod recently.

A day prior to the ministers' meet, the state food secretaries would meet to set the agenda for it.

The states have been given a year's deadline to implement the Act, which would ensure that about 82 crore legally-entitled people receive foodgrains at heavily-subsidised rates. However, states such as Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal have already implemented it.

The meeting – at which the criteria to be adopted for inclusion and actual identification of beneficiaries by the states would be discussed – will be inaugurated by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, and K V Thomas, minister of state (independent charge) for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, will preside over it.

Senior officials of the prime minister's office (PMO), the ministries of finance and agriculture and the Planning Commission would also attend the meet.

They would be deliberating upon a host of topics, including the issue of fresh ration cards; women's empowerment under the Act; the doorstep delivery of foodgrains; setting up of grievance redressal machinery at the district and state levels; the computerisation of the targeted public distribution system; the creation of scientific storage capacity at various levels for the timely delivery of foodgrains, and the opening of new fair price shops (FPS), wherever required, will also be taken up during the deliberations.

Measures to ensure that local bodies play a more effective role in the implementation of the National Food Security Act; the revamping of vigilance committees at various levels to keep a watch on the distribution system, and the norms for identification of beneficiaries for the distribution of sugar and kerosene under the public distribution system (PDS) – as the National Food Security Act does not have a below-poverty line (BPL) category – are also on the agenda.

Centre's role

Under the Act, the Centre will provide financial assistance to the states and Union Territories to meet the expenditure on intra-state transportation, handling and margins to be paid to fair price shop dealers.

Clarifications to the issues raised by the states in this regard will also be provided during the day-long discussions.

Objectives and entitlements

The National Food Security Act would ensures food and nutritional security to the people. It gives a right to the people to receive adequate quantity of foodgrains at affordable prices.

It seeks to address the issue of food security in a life-cycle approach, giving separate entitlements for pregnant and lactating women (a monetary benefit amounting to not less than Rs 6,000) and children aged between 6 months and 14 years [meals under the integrated child development scheme (ICDS) and mid-day meal (MDM) scheme], and entitlements to a much larger population to receive subsidised food grains under the targeted public distribution system (TDPS).

It will cover about 75 per cent and 50 per cent of the rural and urban population respectively under the TPDS as a single category, with a uniform entitlement of 5kg per person per month. They will get rice, wheat and coarse grains at the prices of Rs 3, 2 and Re 1 per kg.

The entitlement of existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households will be protected at 35 kg per household per month under the Act. Corresponding to the all-India coverage, state-wise coverage will be determined by Central Government. But within the states, beneficiaries will be identified by the concerned state.

The Act encourages women's empowerment, as it provides that the eldest woman of the household (aged 18 years or above) to be the head of the household for the purpose of issuing of ration cards.

Grievance redressal mechanism at the district and state levels will ensure an effective redressal of grievances.

The Central government would provide assistance to states in meeting the expenditure incurred by them on the transportation of foodgrains within the state, its handling and FPS dealers’ margins as per the norms to be devised for this purpose.

The Act has significant provisions for transparency and accountability. PDS-related records would be placed in public domain, social audit will be taken up and vigilance committees will be set up.

A provision would for food security allowances to entitled beneficiaries has been made in the case of non-supply of foodgrains or meals.

Penalty on public servants or authorities would be imposed by the state food commission, in case of failure to comply with the relief recommended by the district grievance redressal officers.